Cars began lining up in the Richmond County Sheriff's Office parking lot Wednesday morning for the annual Shred Fest, an event that focuses on helping protect residents from identity theft by shredding documents.

Sheriff Richard Roundtree said the department began the event in 2017 and considers it a success. He feels it's important to give back to the public and educate people about the dangers of identity fraud.

"We know that identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation," Roundtree said. "We are getting a lot scams that are going on. A lot of that is perpetrated through people getting a hold of addresses, driver's license, social security numbers through the mail."

Catherine English had papers piling up at home and didn't want them to fall into the wrong hands. Although she hasn't been affected by identity theft, she's happy about the sheriff's office providing such an event.

"I think that's a good job because a lot of people don't have a shredder," English said. "They bring it out here and it's fast and easy."

According to the sheriff's office, over 18 million Americans have been victims of identity-related fraud over the past two years. Roundtree said there have been some cases in Richmond County.

"Unfortunately, we are seeing a large number of scams and they are preying on the vulnerability of people," he said. "We have a division that is devoted to it, but again it's about being vigilant, trying to find a way that doesn't make it easy for criminals to get your information."

People who brought documents were helped by Roundtree and deputies in dumping them into a bin for shredding by an Augusta Data Storage truck. Roundtree said he plans to continue the event while sheriff. .

"This is something that we've had success with two years ago and something that we plan to continue through this administration," he said.

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